Jean Varas will be inducted into the Long Island Football Players Hall of Fame in ceremonies on Saturday.
Ceremonies will be held at the Huntington Hilton in Melville, NY
She will be inducted into the Hall, along with Nick Megaloudis, Doc Lawson, Peter Jianette, John Lignos and Mary Theresa Varas.
Peter Collins, the late president of the Long Island Junior Soccer League, will receive the Paul LeSueur Ambassador of the Game Award.
The venue will also celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Arrows, who won their fourth and final Major Indoor Soccer League championship in 1982.
Varas was a two-time All-American at Berner HS in Massapequa, NY. She also helped lay the foundation for the Massapequa Falcons, which won the U.S. National Under-18 Girls Championship in 1986.
She was also a member of the newly formed Region 1 Olympic Development Program teams from 1981 to 1983, which culminated in her selection to the 1983 U.S. National Youth U-18 Team and was among the first young female players. Americans to compete internationally when the team toured Europe.
Varas was a member of Team Long Island’s dominance at the Empire State Games from 1981 to 1985, winning four gold medals and one silver. She attended the University of Central Florida from 1984 to 1987, was selected to the regional All-South team, and was named an All-America in her senior year. Varas appeared twice in the College Cup, scoring 29 goals, good for 11th place on the school’s all-time list.
In 1984, Jean and her sister Mary were featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” for their accomplishments as soccer-playing sisters. The appearance in SI was considered the first published recognition for female soccer players.
Varas competed in three US Olympic festivals, winning gold with the 1985 South team and a silver medal at the 1987 US event.
She competed in the W-League (USL), America’s first national women’s amateur soccer league launched in 1994, before performing with the Orlando Lions and Tampa Bay.
“The Class of 2022 is an extraordinary example of Long Island’s incredibly rich football history,” said LISPHOF founder Kevin L. McCrudden. “In the early days of men’s and women’s soccer in America, you can find the footprints of some of America’s greatest and most influential players on Long Island. No matter one of the most influential people in soccer history American Mr. Peter Collins Truly one of the “founding fathers” of youth football on Long Island and in America.
Hall’s executive director, Jim Kilmeade, added, “The Long Island Football Players Hall of Fame represents not just world-class athletes, but world-class human beings. On behalf of our Board of Directors, we look forward to hearing about their individual life stories and are honored to induct this distinguished Class of 2022. These seven individuals have collectively inspired and influenced the lives of thousands of young football players, coaches and fans across Long Island and the country. We look forward to celebrating the 1981-82 National Champion – NY Arrows and the careers of Doc Lawson, Peter Jianette, Mary Theresa Varas, Jean Varas, Nick Megaloudis John Lignos and Long Island’s leading man in the sport, Mr. Peter Collins. »
